As we approach the end of the year, it seems Chinese New Year (CNY) campaigns are already getting underway and luxury brands are making their moves. Of course, some of this is also to accommodate the Japanese market as they celebrate the traditional New Year on the 1 January in the Gregorian Calendar. British luxury fashion and accessories brand Burberry has already kicked things off with a capsule collection and a short promotional video. Both of which are looking rather China-centric.
The collection focuses on the Snake, the Chinese zodiac motif for the year equivalent to 2025. The British brand uses the snake to form its “B” monogram logo that features on both garments and scarves. The predominantly red collection also showcases the festive nature of the CNY period. For the collection, the brand also recruited photographer Walter Pfeiffer to create a short “inspiration” film that features the brand’s ambassador, actress Zhang Jingyi.
The set of the photoshoot pays tribute to Chinese culture with its red backdrop and a specific piece of furniture. It is a piece of bamboo wicker ware created by wicker artist Qian Lihuai, who comes from a family of wicker artisans whose craft has been awarded the title of intangible cultural heritage at a municipal level in Wuzhen.
On Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, the topic “Burberry 2025 CNY collection” (#Burberry2025新禧贺岁系列#) quickly gained 11.16 million views. It is partly due to the star power of Zhang, whose own post for the photoshoot gained 104,396 reposts.
Burberry has been facing difficulties this year, both globally and in China. The brand’s latest financial report covering the 26 weeks up to 28 September shows that its revenue dropped 20% year-on-year (YoY), and its profit dropped from 223 million GBP (283.19 million USD) to a loss of 41 million GBP (52.07 million USD). Asia-Pacific saw a revenue drop of 25%. It is reported that the higher prices and the large discounts at outlet stores might be one of the issues. With its renewed effort in China with the CNY campaign, combined with more structural adjustments, it’s worth watching if Burberry regains its ground in the Chinese market.
